Lian’er mustered her courage and pushed open the Captain’s office door.
Inside, the Captain was sitting with several of the male team members, bottles of wine scattered on the table, the atmosphere lively and relaxed.
When Phil entered, the Captain grinned and raised his wine cup, asking, “Phil, want to join us for a drink? This batch is made from wild mountain berries we found—tastes pretty good.”
Phil poked her head in, but she wasn’t in the mood for drinking.
She took a deep breath, determined to confess everything.
“Captain, everyone, I have something very important to tell you all,” she said, her voice trembling, her heart full of anxiety.
The Captain saw her expression and put away his smile, signaling the others to quiet down. “Phil, what’s happened? Go ahead, we’re listening.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve been hiding my true identity from you all.”
Phil bit her lip and finally spoke the secret she had hidden deep in her heart: “I used to be a… Blood Clan woman. In the Capital, I worked at Hailuosen Castle. I ended up here only after fleeing from my old life. But I promise, I’ve never done anything to harm humans.”
Would these people really accept her? Phil had no confidence at all.
After all, to them, she was once an enemy, called their Master, for a very long time.
She waited anxiously for everyone’s reaction. The room was dead silent, as if even the air had frozen.
Just then, the Doctor suddenly laughed, breaking the silence.
“Don’t be so serious, silly child. Sure, we hate the Blood Clan, but we can tell right from wrong,” he took a big swig of wine, then continued, “You must’ve suffered plenty back in that Castle, right? You managed to escape and even join us that’s enough.”
“I thought it was something big, ha!”
“To be honest, I even worked for those immortal freaks before myself, only realized later how foolish that was! Phil, you really don’t need to worry about this.”
“Exactly, exactly!”
Lian’er’s eyes turned misty, and she nearly burst into tears. She hadn’t expected that her confession would be met with such understanding and acceptance.
“Thank you, everyone… I really didn’t expect… you would accept me.” Phil choked out her words.
The Captain patted her on the shoulder and said firmly, “Miss Phil, you’re one of our team, no matter your past. What matters is where you stand now and where you want to go in the future. We believe in you.”
The other team members all nodded in agreement, and warmth filled the room once more.
“Humans ought to understand one another! Don’t blame yourself for the past.”
“We all know there are still many humans imprisoned by the Blood Clan, still unaware of themselves. We don’t hate them, we want to save them!”
Those passionate words sank into Phil’s heart, making her feel that she truly belonged here.
But precisely because of this, there were things she had to say.
Lian’er’s mood calmed under her companions’ understanding and encouragement, but her unease had not completely disappeared.
During a lull in drinking, she pulled the Captain aside and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, slowly revealed her suspicions about the blond man’s identity.
“Captain, I must tell you something. That blond man… he may not be the real Royal Messenger from Valivadan. When I was helping him with his cloak, I accidentally saw the letter he was carrying. The script on it was from the Kingdom of Ansels.”
“I’m afraid…the Rebels’ token has already fallen into the hands of the people of Ansels. That blond man is using that token to pretend to be Valivadan’s Royal Messenger and infiltrated our group.”
The Captain’s expression turned grim upon hearing this.
He fixed his gaze on Phil, as if trying to judge the truth of her words.
Phil met his eyes steadily, unwavering.
“You’re sure you didn’t see wrong?” the Captain asked quietly, “We don’t even recognize the letters, we can’t read what’s written.”
Phil nodded firmly.
“I didn’t expect things to get this serious…”
The Captain thought for a moment, pacing back and forth, then finally made his decision.
He waved for a few trusted members and quietly ordered them to detain the blond man during the next round of drinks and search his belongings.
Before long, his confidants brought the blond man and his backpack over.
“Check his bag carefully.”
The bag was turned inside out.
Sure enough, besides that letter, there were other suspicious items inside. Even the sword hilt the man carried had the insignia of Ansels etched into it.
Maybe he’d intended to deliver the letter and leave, but he hadn’t expected to get so drunk at the feast and stay the night, which exposed his cover.
Once the man was tied up, the Captain turned to everyone, face stern.
“We don’t have much time spread the word, we have to evacuate this place now!”
After a day of snow, a rare clear winter morning arrived. The sunlight was weak but managed to pierce through the icy air.
The main structure of the city walls of Ansels was not yet fully restored, but the repairs would still take some time. During this period, the Royal Family stayed inside Summer Meng Fortress.
Inside the room at the side wing, Su Ling was carefully selecting thick winter clothing for Sista’s outing.
Just as Su Ling was straightening up a fur collar, Sista suddenly spoke up. “I want to go for a walk.”
Su Ling paused slightly, looking up at Sista, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
After all, on most days, Sista rarely requested to go out for a walk, let alone with her.
“Your Highness…you mean, go out now?” Su Ling confirmed softly.
Sista nodded gently. “Yes, it’s winter now, but there’s a wide lakeshore near Summer Meng Fortress. I want to see it.”
“I understand, Your Highness.”
So, the two of them dressed warmly and stepped out of Summer Meng Fortress, entering a world blanketed in silver and white.
The winter scenery was not as vibrant as midsummer, but it had its own unique charm. Snowflakes sparkled in the sunlight like smoldering starlight.
Sista walked ahead, Su Ling following closely behind, the two stepping through thick, packed snow, making a “wu sha” sound. Sista would glance back from time to time to make sure Su Ling could keep up.
Finally, they reached the lakeshore blanketed in snow. The lake surface had already frozen, and beneath the ice, the dark blue current could still be faintly seen, as if time itself had stilled here.
Looking around, white snow covered everything. Only a few sturdy trees stood in the wind and snow, their branches hung with crystal-like icicles.
The ground on the shore was hardened by the cold, and halfway there, Sista’s long boots slipped a little on the icy surface, making a crisp sound.
This sudden instability made Sista’s figure waver slightly.
Su Ling turned and noticed that Sista’s boots didn’t seem all that steady on this icy ground.
“Your Highness, be careful. It’s very slippery here.” Su Ling instinctively reached out to steady Sista.
“You think I can’t even walk properly?” Sista refused Su Ling’s help without the slightest politeness.
Su Ling’s hand froze in midair, then slowly withdrew, a barely noticeable hint of disappointment passing over her face.
After all, Sista was always stubbornly independent, unwilling to accept help from others—especially from a servant like her.
“Forgive me, I was overthinking it.”
However, just as Su Ling was about to withdraw her hand, Sista suddenly changed her mind and swiftly grabbed Su Ling’s hand.
“Hmph.”
“Fine, I’ll let you have your way otherwise, if I fall you’ll blame me for it.”
Su Ling was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
“Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern.”
“I told you, I’m not worried about you.”
Hand in hand, the two of them walked slowly along the frozen lakeshore, Sista’s hand bringing Su Ling a gentle warmth, soothing and comfortable.
“I have something to ask you,” after a while, Sista suddenly began, “about the Moonlight Festival.”